Last week in Washington state, the Skagit County Sheriff's Office put a local Chinese restaurant on blast, declaring that law enforcement officers were no longer welcome at the restaurant. The sheriff's announcement, posted to social media, claims that the eatery's owner asked deputies not to eat there anymore.
But it turns out the whole thing might have been a misunderstanding due to a language barrier.
Chinese restaurant owner deluged with threats after sheriff wrongly accuses him of banning cops
On Thursday, the Skagit County Sheriff's Office's official Facebook page posted a status about an encounter that several officers reportedly had at the Lucky Teriyaki restaurant in Sedro-Woolley. The deputies claim the owner asked them to leave, saying they were no longer welcome there because they upset other customers. So of course, the most responsible course of action for a law enforcement agency in this situation: publicly blast the business on Facebook. The Sheriff's post effectively called for a public boycott of the restaurant.
"I understand a business owner has a right to refuse service if he wants to," Sheriff Will Reichardt said. "I also understand that as customers we all have the right to find some other restaurant to take our lunch break in."
